How did I get involved in Yoga?
| In my early 20's I had the privilege of traveling through Thailand. I visited a Buddhist monastery called Suran What which ran 10 day retreats in silence for westerners. I had no idea what to expect and it was really the idea of my travel partner, Deanna. I found 10 days of silence a truly wondrous experience, The day was spent in various types of meditation or lectures on Buddhism and as the sun rose we did yoga. I had always been a lover of physical exercise and movement, running, golf, weights, all sorts of racket sports but this yoga was something different. I loved the peaceful state it created and that experience stayed with me. About 3 years later I was having a mid 20's crisis, my long term relationship finished, self esteem low, my career as a research chemist was daunting, and suddenly the realisation 'what was I going to do with my life?!' |
1990, Simon strolling by paddy fields, Thailand. |
It was a time to explore and I remembered those dawn yoga sessions in Thailand and enrolled in an adult education class of yoga in Harlow, near where I worked.
This is the beginning of a new chapter of my life.
Who are my teachers?
My teacher in that class was Jan Sim, I was immediately curious about this yoga, Jan had such focus, attention to detail and was simply inspiring. My body was locked and tight with muscular tension, so there started a very long 'undoing' process which will never end! At the end of that year Jan mentioned her intention to run a teacher training course, I found myself interested to know more and eventually signing up. So I started my part I training with Jan and Lynn Nixon who both had been taught by Swami Dharmananda Saraswati, a woman born in Harlow, who had trained in India and set up a group called the Dharma Yoga Centre. In those first two years I remember feeling frustrated at times, confused at times, all those strange sounding words, the physical postures were so difficult and progress so slow but I persevered. As I was coming to the end of that course I started my first class where I worked, it was incredible, after that first class, at last I realised this is what I wanted to do.
The next 3 years was spent training with Julie Friedeberger in Greenwich. Julie too had been trained by Swami Dharmananda and it was in these years things started to fall into place. As I studied the recommended texts it was like coming home, thoughts and feelings that only floated in my distant consciousness, suddenly had form in these ancient writings.
I started teaching another class in the evenings and soon it was clear I wanted to spend more time doing yoga than mixing chemicals as a chemist. So in July 2000 I left my job to devote my time to yoga.
I must mention my weekly yoga teacher, Lynn Kelvin, who again was taught by Swami Dharmananda. It was here at these weekly classes I felt the benefits of calming and balancing mind and body and it is from this experience I teach. Lynn and all my other teachers have been inspiring for their joy of life, energy and caring for others for which I thank them.
----about me and my interests
----regular sessions of yoga
----my history and teachers
----useful links
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